One thing I have always wondered is how well the top SAM games would of sold. I remember reading one of the later FRED issues and in an article it is mentioned Prince Of Persia sold around 2,000 copies. I would like to think that Lemmings and the earlier Enigma Variations games would of sold as much or maybe more, does anybody know?.

Sorry for the downtime - the server had a new version of php installed which deprecated something this site’s code was doing. Let me know if anything behaves oddly. (Or more oddly than usual, anyway. Probably need to re-engineer the entire thing in a non-ancient version of drupal, really…)

November 20th 1989 was once announced as the official release date for the SAM Coupe in the press at the time, although the first batch of computers didn’t ship until early December. But what that means though, is SAM’s 25th Anniversary is now well and truly upon us! So to continue my celebrations it’s time to announce SAM Revival issue 25!

What’s in the magazine? Well, let’s take a look at the cover first. I commissioned a new drawing by Robin Evans - the original artist for the SAM robot, you’ll be familiar with all his doodles in the SAM Coupe User Guide and the early MGT adverts from 1989/1990. Well he dusted off his memory of drawing the robot and has came up trumps with the drawing for the cover. As part of the commission I’ve also got a couple of prints of the cover artwork which Robin has hand signed - the first of which will be auctioned on eBay on 20th October 2015 - I’ll post up some photos over the next few days on my website and a link to the auction once it’s started. Although I paid for the commission of the artwork from my own pocket all proceeds from the auction will be used towards my ongoing work developing new products for the SAM Coupe.

Inside the magazine, a mammoth news section kicks off after the editorial, covering news from around the SAM scene, with all the details of new hardware, software and demos for the SAM Coupe as well as previews of projects that are being worked on.

Feature articles shows off all the work undertaken by Phil Wilson with the customising of his SAM, plus shorter articles about several other customisation projects. The Developer Diary section looks at the new game that’s Warren Lee is preparing, and a quick look at TRINload from Simon Owen which is a utility to transfer data from a PC to the SAM via the Trinity Ethernet Interface.

I’ve been enjoying some of the Kickstarter ZX Spectrum books recently, and it seems to me that it would be lovely to have the SAM Coupe and its games immortalised in a similar way. Chris Wilkins’ ZX Spectrum books look and feel really nice, and would be the perfect sort of style for a SAM Coupe one.

Now, I’m well aware that there’s not the same size base in the SAM world, so this may well be nostalgia getting the better of me, but what do people think? We’ve definitely got the contacts to get the content written, it’s just whether you think there’s enough people out there who might want to pick up a copy? You know, without the scenario where I’m explaining to Mrs A why I’ve invested a load of cash in a book and now got hundreds of unsold copies sat in our bedroom….

I plan make new computer compatible with SAM COUPE and ZX128. Functionality may be similar as old SAM COUPE but with more features, faster CPU, more ram/rom, more graphic modes, new keyboard+case. In ZX mode will possible enable compatibility with ZX128 memory, use AY ports (instead MIDI) and enable DIVMMC interface compatibility (possibility use system ESXDOS from ZX Spectrum). Computer will contain also second Z80 CPU, text mode(in colors) and more news.

Poll

Megademo: Stupid Pointless Cool You could have spent all that time writing a game! Oooh, interesting, I wonder how they did that? Wow, I never knew my Sam could do that! Meh, that's not as good as Lyra III...